Kasteel Van Ooidonk

Deinze, Belgium, Belgium

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Kasteel van Ooidonk is a large, moated water castle near a bend of the Leie River in Deinze, East Flanders, Belgium, built on an almost square artificial island surrounded by a wide pond and approached by a stone bridge.

It originated as a 12th‑century fortified farmstead on a sandy hill, developed into a stone manor with a water‑filled moat by the early 14th century, and became the seat of the lords of Nevele and later the dukes of Montmorency, including the famous Philip, Count of Horne. The castle was destroyed twice in the 16th‑century conflicts and was rebuilt in 1595 in the Spanish‑Flemish Renaissance style, with step gables, onion‑shaped corner towers, many chimneys and a layout that recalls Loire Valley châteaux such as Chambord.

In the 19th century the interiors were renewed in a neo‑Flemish Renaissance style, a neo‑Byzantine family chapel was added and a gatehouse with wrought‑iron fencing displaying the family coat of arms was constructed, while the essential Renaissance form of the exterior was preserved. The estate now covers about 140 hectares, including a park with a French garden, a caretaker’s house and several outbuildings, and the whole domain, including the castle and its buildings, has been protected as heritage since 1944 (with additional protection in 1995).